1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a holder for a blood collection needle and, more particularly, to a holder that includes a means for securing a blood collection needle and a further means for retaining a blood collection tube such that the needle can be used together with the tube when a blood sample is taken from a human body for the purpose of blood analysis such as blood sedimentation.
2. Prior Art
Generally, the prior art blood collection needles have male-threaded hubs which are screwed into female-threaded needle holders. The needles can be unscrewed by hand for removal from the holders, after fitting a protector on each needle through which a blood sample has been taken. Physicians and medical workers have erroneously and accidentally pricked their palms or fingers when attaching those protectors to such used needles. As a result, some physicians and medical workers have been infected with serious diseases including AIDS viruses and hepatitis viruses. Therefore, certain proposals have been made to make it unnecessary for physicians to touch the used needles when removing and discarding them from the holders. Such proposals of the so-called "one-touch holder" are disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-28589 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2-297342 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,225).
A fastener combined with a needle seat included in the holder shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-28589 includes a spring for urging an improved blood collection needle toward the seat. The improved needle has an indented hub to be releasably fixed on the seat. A pair of hub support walls shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2-297342 are elastically expansible to grip a proximal portion of the hub. This hub secured to the blood collection needle also has a lug or recess engageable with the support walls.
One-touch type holders, however, are applicable only to the needle hubs having a special indent or lug not found in the usual holders. In other words, ordinary blood collection needles cannot necessarily be used with such holders. Further, such holders, because they are of the non-screwing type, sometimes fail to hold the needle firmly and rigidly.